Teachers from the National Korean Language Teachers Association
A collection of appreciations that easily interprets author Han Kang's novels.
Nobel Prize in Literature Winner - Reading the Han River

October 10, 2024, we can never forget the excitement of that day.
Our country's author Han Kang won the Nobel Prize in Literature.
It was a long-awaited moment that will remain in our literary history.

However, reading Han Kang's novels is not an easy task.
This is because historical facts and fiction are exquisitely mixed, past and present events cross over, symbolic devices are hidden, highly poetic expressions are used throughout, and the narrative point of view changes in various ways.
That is why Han Kang's novels are something that readers must read deeply, step by step, with a lot of thought.

With these points in mind, teachers from the National Association of Korean Language Teachers interpreted 'Author Han Kang' and her major novels.
The initial plan was to use the Korean language and literature concepts of middle and high school students as a guide to help young people become familiar with Han Kang's novels.
It also served as a gateway for ordinary adults to read Han Kang's novels without difficulty.

I hope that this book will deepen the appreciation of Han Kang's work for those who have already read it, and serve as a friendly guide to her work for those who are about to read it.

On October 10, 2024, the Swedish Academy announced that it had selected novelist Han Kang as the winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature.
With this, he became the first Korean to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, and we now have the pleasure of appreciating the work of a Nobel Prize winner in its entirety without translation.
---p.15, 「1.
From "Writer Han Kang"

At the center of the three series, “The Vegetarian,” “Mongolian Spot,” and “Tree Flame,” is Young-hye’s story.
Although Young-hye is the main character of the novel, she is unable to find her own voice anywhere in the work.
The novel unfolds from the perspectives of Yeong-hye's husband, brother-in-law, and older sister.
Point of view refers to the perspective or position from which the narrator of a story views a character or event.
In a novel, whose point of view is chosen is an important factor in determining one's attitude or view of the character.
---p.43, 「2.
Among the "Vegetarians"

『Greek Hours』, consisting of a total of 22 chapters, begins with Chapter 1 and ends with Chapter 0.
Some chapters have subheadings and some do not.
The length of the story varies from chapter to chapter.
Sometimes a long story unfolds, and other times a chapter consists of a few Greek sentences or a poem.
Another chapter is about a man, but then it changes to a woman's story, and the point of view changes from first person to third person.
A character's thoughts are sometimes expressed in italics without quotation marks.
It is very different from the structure of a novel that we commonly know as ‘beginning---p. development---p. crisis---p. climax---p. conclusion.’

---p.66, 「3.
From "Greek Time"

Dong-ho's reason for staying at the wiretapping office on the last day wasn't just because he wanted to find Jeong-dae.
When Eun-sook finds Dong-ho at the wiretapping office on the last day and asks him to go out with her, Dong-ho runs away quickly down the stairs as if running away is the only way to survive.
Looking at Dong-ho's actions, we can see that his remaining in the wiretapping was a result of a completely voluntary and willful decision.
So where does Dong-ho's determination come from? Dong-ho isn't just waiting for his friend Jeong Dae-man to come to terms with something. He's aware that something is deeply wrong with the world, and he's observing what's unfolding before his eyes.
And we deeply recognize the abnormal situation in which we cannot share ‘our military’ and ‘the Taegeukgi and the national anthem.’
---p.105~106, 「4.
From "The Boy Comes"

Have you ever seen our country's traditional patchwork? As you can see in the photo on the left, patchwork is a practical yet beautiful wrapping cloth made by patching together pieces of cloth of different colors and shapes.
I think the composition of 『White』 could be called a ‘patchwork composition.’
By piecing together pieces of different stories about 'white things', I created a novel called 'White'.
---p.129, 「5.
Among the "white"

Among the villagers of Jeongsim, all those taken by the soldiers are shot dead on the beach.
Even the water babies (Jeju dialect for 'babies') were all killed for the purpose of extermination.
The expression 'extermination is the goal' shows how brutally the military and police suppressed Jeju at the time.
The 'scorched earth operation' against Jeju Island residents is a suppression operation that treats not only armed groups but also ordinary civilians as enemies and kills them.
The term “extermination,” which means to completely eliminate without leaving even a trace, is consistent with the expression “sweep (Jeju Island) as if sweeping with a broom” in the US military report.

---p.163, 「6.
From "Not Saying Goodbye"